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François Clouet
Pierre Quthe, Apothecary
1562
© Musée du Louvre/A. Dequier - M. Bard
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François Clouet
Pierre Quthe, Apothecary
1562
Oil on panel
H. 91 cm; W. 70 cm
Gift of the Friends of the Louvre, 1908
R.F. 1719
Paintings
FR. IANETTI. OPUS/ PE. QUTTIO. AMICO. SINGULARI / AETATIS SUE XLIII / 1562 (Work of Fr. Janet, to P. Quthe, his close friend, aged 43, 1562)
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| Vincent Pomarède |
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Pierre Quthe, Apothecary |
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The handwritten inscription below the curtain gives the name of the painter, the sitter's name and age, and the date of the painting. Pierre Quthe was a Parisian apothecary and the owner of a famous garden of medicinal plants, to which the herbal open in front of him is an allusion.
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Pierre Quthe, apothecary
Here François Clouet has painted his friend and neighbor Pierre Quthe (1519-c. 1588), famed for his work in botany and the astonishing "garden of simples" he patiently tended in the heart of Paris. The inscription is rich in information, providing the date of the picture - 1562 - and telling us that Pierre Quthe was 43 at the time. This is one of the rare signed works by François Clouet.
Technical precision and realism
On the left, a magnificent blue-green curtain creates a trompe-l'oeil effect that accentuates the depth of the picture and the realism for which Clouet was striving. This work offers a subtle blend of smooth precision, the psychological realism of the Flemish portrait, and an approach to light and facial contour reflecting the recent influence of the Italian Renaissance painters.
Moreau-Nélaton steps in
This work was acquired by the Friends of the Louvre, which donated it to the museum in 1908. The acquisition had been made possible by the collector and donor Étienne Moreau-Nélaton: having spotted it in a collection abroad, he paid for it out of his own pocket, being later reimbursed by the Friends of the Louvre, of which he was an active member.
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